Child killed in Sudan air raid – rebels

Khartoum - One child was killed and four others wounded when Sudanese aircraft bombed villages in South Kordofan state over the Eid holiday weekend, rebels said on Monday.

The deadly strike on Tonguli village happened on Sunday night, while other villages were hit on Monday, killing cattle, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said in a statement.

Sudan's army spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Access to the warzone is restricted, making verification of claims difficult.

Since fighting began in oil-producing South Kordofan in June last year there have been repeated allegations, denied by Khartoum, that civilians have been bombed from the air.

The rebels have cited a series of aerial bombings this month as justification for their periodic shelling of the state capital Kadugli.

They say they have targeted military installations in Kadugli and killed a number of troops, but official media say several civilians have died from the rebel mortar fire.

The latest rebel barrage against the capital occurred on Friday, the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, after rebel-held villages were bombed from the air, the SPLM-N said.Security and oil

Insurgents have reported an upsurge in fighting since Sudan and South Sudan in September signed a deal for a demilitarised border buffer zone designed to cut support for the rebels.

The pact was among agreements on security and oil, sealed with African Union mediation, which leaders of the two nations hailed as ending their conflict.

Sudan and South Sudan fought a border war in March and April, leading to a UN Security Council resolution which ordered a ceasefire and settlement of crucial unresolved issues between the two former civil war foes.

The SPLM-N were allies of southern rebels during Sudan's 22-year civil war, which ended with a 2005 peace deal that led to South Sudan's independence in July last year.

Sudan has accused South Sudan of supporting the SPLM-N, a charge which analysts believe despite denials by the government in Juba.

The war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where SPLM-N is also fighting, has affected an estimated 900,000 people but more than a year of talks has failed to get food aid into rebel zones where serious food shortages are reported, the UN has said.